Is an IQ test score of 115 bad?

Answer 1

the average is 100

Answer 2

IQ stands for intelligence quotient. Supposedly, it is a score that tells one how “bright” a person is compared to other people. The average IQ is by definition 100; scores above 100 indicate a higher than average IQ and scores below 100 indicate a lower that average IQ. Theoretically, scores can range any amount below or above 100, but in practice they do not meaningfully go much below 50 or above 150.

Half of the population have IQ’s of between 90 and 110, while 25% have higher IQ’s and 25% have lower IQ’s:

130+
Very superior
2.2%

120-129
Superior
6.7%

110-119
High average
16.1%

90-109
Average
50%

80-89
Low average
16.1%

70-79
Borderline
6.7%

Below 70
Extremely low
2.2%

Apparently, the IQ gives a good indication of the occupational group that a person will end up in, though not of course the specific occupation. In their book, Know Your Child’s IQ, Glen Wilson and Diana Grylls outline occupations typical of various IQ levels:

140
Top Civil Servants; Professors and Research Scientists.

130
Physicians and Surgeons; Lawyers; Engineers (Civil and Mechanical)

120
School Teachers; Pharmacists; Accountants; Nurses; Stenographers; Managers.

110
Foremen; Clerks; Telephone Operators; Salesmen; Policemen; Electricians.

100+
Machine Operators; Shopkeepers; Butchers; Welders; Sheet Metal Workers.

100-
Warehousemen; Carpenters; Cooks and Bakers; Small Farmers; Truck and Van Drivers.

90
Laborers; Gardeners; Upholsterers; Farmhands; Miners; Factory Packers and Sorters.

IQ Expressed in Percentiles

IQ is often expressed in percentiles, which is not the same as percentage scores, and a common reason for the misunderstanding of IQ scores. Percentage refers to the number of items which a child answers correctly compared to the total number of items presented. If a child answers 25 questions correctly on a 50 question test he would earn a percentage score of 50. If he answers 40 questions on the same test his percentage score would be 80. Percentile, however, refers to the number of other test takers’ scores that an individual’s score equals or exceeds. If a child answered 25 questions and did better than 50% of the children taking the test he would score at the 50th percentile. However, if he answered 40 questions on the 50 item test and everyone else answered more than he did, he would fall at a very low percentile — even though he answered 80% of the questions correctly.

Answer 3

You're in the 85 percent group. Meaning your IQ is higher than 85 of the population. If I were you, however, I wouldn't tell anyone. The jealousy of others will eat you up alive.

Answer 4

Not bad at all. The mean is 100, and you're probably one standard deviation above the mean. Which means you're smarter than most people.

Nice score, but not as good as mine.

Answer 5

It means nothing. You have to local at the totality of the circumnstances, such as race, economic background, validity of the test, reliability of the test, and so on and so on.

Answer 6

a little above average

Answer 7

no, I got 124.